Acer: Trainer, Savior, Adventurer, Hero.

9 years have passed since Dan Acer and his friends thwarted Giovanni and the devious Team Rocket, wiping out their plans for global domination. Thank's to the efforts of the heroic team, a new day of hope has dawned. For in the years that the shadow of doom, otherwise known as the Forge, has been destroyed, the world has come to a state of peace.

However, the circumstances of the victory have left a scar in the mind of Acer. A scar in the form of a Question mark. A scar that has been opening in the years, now to the point of need.

Verdanturf Town. That's where the man named Acer has lived for over 4 years. It's a small town, but it has a fair share of houses. The biggest house in the town, is owned by Acer himself. At nightime, it becomes quiet and prosper. But when drizzling with Rain, it can be a little less. While it may seem soft outside, in the mind of Dan Acer, it's storming.

2:35 AM

Another bad dream. All from an event most call good. Dan couldn't sleep. He slowly got out of bed, careful not to wake his wife. Walking down the hallway, he peeked into his son's room. Kyler, 3 and a half years old. He was aging really fast, already learning to speak normally, and walking like a pro. He looked just like Dan, except he had his mother's eyes.

He went into the darkened 2nd floor living room. In the corner, slept Abra. Abra could sense anyone in the room, but ignored his master and kept on sleeping. Dan stepped out into the Balcony, and looked down into the back courtyard, staring. "Don't jump." Dan turned to see Sapphire, his wife. "I don't want to have to clean up the mess." she joked. Dan sighed. "I can't sleep. And I don't wanna have to take those stupid pills." he said. He looked down in the courtyard. Kabutops was sleeping out there. Not just because it liked the stars, but because he was also guarding the property.

"Is it because of what happened back at the forge?" said Sapphire. Dan nodded. He's been having the vision of him with glowing silver eyes, over and over. Sapphire rubbed his back. "But it was almost a decade ago. Everyone still calls you a hero." she said to reasure him. "I know, but...still...what happened to me...I just don't know." said Dan. "I'm sure one day, you might see the light." said Sapphire. "Yeah, I hope you're right." said Dan. Sapphire kissed his cheek. "Well come on. I'll get Igglybuff to sing you to sleep." she said, heading back to the room. Dan sauntered off with her. "But that's for Kyler..." Dan Whined.

The rest of the night, everyone slept soundly. The Next morning was a typical quiet day. Beautiful, as usual. Dan planted some more berries with Kabutops helping. "There we go." he said, planting an Oran Berry. He finished. "All done. Thanks Kabutops." he said. "My Pleasure, sir." said Kabutops, bowing. Sapphire came from around the house. "Dan, did Kyler come back from the woods?" she asked. "Erm...not yet." Dan said. "Please go get him. I don't like him being out in the woods this long." she said with a hint of worridness. "Don't worry, I will. Come on, Abra." Dan said. Abra bowed.

Dan ran into the small woods behind Verdanturf Town. It's a small woods, not inhabitated by much Dangerous Pokemon. Dan's son Kyler often likes to wander into the woods and play in there. Nothing bad ever happens, as it's safe for even him. Though sometimes, he often stays too long, and has to be reminded of the time. Dan took Abra with him to sense Kyler out, but also to defend if any smaller Pokemon tried to be pests.

The 24 year old trainer, Dan Acer, entered the woods with Abra, searching for his son, wondering what else might be in there.

Acer's son, Kyler, was in fact having quite a bit of fun playing with the local troupe of Aipom, rather clever little guys who liked to perform small, circus-esque routines. However, they were interrupted by a newcomer to these woods: a powerful, and territorial Zangoose, one who had been ousted from his own home. At first, it seemed he would fight them all, but instead, he waved the Aipom on, interested in their antics. Upon seeing Dan and Abra, however, he stood up, ready to go on the offensive. Zangoose shielded the boy and Aipom(s) behind him, raising his powerful claw up in warning.

Dan called out for his son. "Kyler?" he yelled out. Kyler looked beyond the Zangoose and saw Dan. "Daddy!" he shouted. Dan saw his son with the Aipom and the Zangoose. He noticed the Zangooses intense glare. Dan laughed.

"I'm not sure if I should've brought Kabutops with us. He'd either negotiate with him, or slice it up. Not sure what he'd do." he laughed, speaking to Abra. Abra just stared. "One thing's for sure: I'm glad Sapphire ain't here, she'd just slice em up." he muttered. He slowly walked over to the Zangoose with Abra behind. He would help Dan if things weren't going as peaceful.

"Hi there...could I get my son back...He needs to come in now...Trust me, his mother will kill you if she sees him like this...and me..." he said slowly to the Zangoose.

Zangoose recognized the words "Daddy" and "Mother", and was able to put the pieces together with that. Lowering his claw, he stepped aside, allowing Dan to get to Kyler. Zangoose looked curiously at Abra, then muttered something to it. The Aipoms began to chatter at Zangoose, who half-attempted to shoo them away. He looked once more at Abra, then Dan. Nodding curtly at the Trainer, he walked off, hidden quickly by the shrubbery and foliage. The Aipoms followed, but not before one last little flip for Kyler's amusement.

Kyler waved goodbye at his Pokemon friends as they left. Dan walked over to his son. "Hey there, bud." he said, Picking him up. "Have fun?" Acer asked. Kyler nodded. "Alright then, lets head back." said Dan. As he walked back carrying Kyler, and Abra at his side, he began to think, How could that Zangoose have understood me like that...

As he headed towards the exit of the forest, he noticed a Pokemon trainer, around the age of 10-13. Dan waved. "Hi there!" he called out.

The young boy waved back, not recognizing Dan immediately. "Hiya! I'm Terran. Roxanne lent me this Geodude to help me catch my first Pokémon, but I haven't found one. Not one Pokémon in Rusturf Tunnel, I don't know why. I figured maybe my steps were echoing in the the tunnel a lot, scaring them away, so I started checking out these woods, but... no such luck. Could you help me out? You look like a pretty experienced Trainer..." Terran trailed off, and it was clear he had no idea what he was doing. He seemed pretty ditzy, having accidentally buttoned his shirt wrong, so one side stuck up higher than the other. His blonde hair was messy, and he only had on one sock. His belt, holding his Pokeballs and a couple Potions, was in impeccable order, however; it seemed like the one thing he actually managed to keep track of.

Dan laughed inside his head: Experienced...ha! He doesn't even know.

"Uh sure..." said Dan, concerned of the boy's appearance. "I'm Dan...are you okay, kid?" he said. Kyler and Abra equally looked wierded out by the boy.

Terran nodded. "Yeah, why -" He happened to catch a glimpse of himself from the reflection in a puddle. He instantly combed his hair with his fingers, then started re-buttoning his shirt. After he finished, he looked down at his feet, and realized he wasn't sure what to do; his shoes were on the right feet, at least, but the one sock looked really off. He shrugged, and turned back to Dan. "Oh, man. Sorry about that. My mom always used to say I was rushing too fast for my own good... Anyway, thanks, I really appreciate this. Where should we start looking?" Terran had begun to murmur when he was talking about his mother, but made an obvious effort to swallow whatever he was dealing with and focus on capturing his first Pokémon.

"Oh, My Abra can figure that out." said Dan. He nudged his Abra. Abra started looking around with his Phsycic powers. Then it started jumping and pointed at a bush. "Ahh, good thinking, Abra." said Dan. "Try looking there, Terran." said Dan.

Terran parted the branches of the bush, and saw - a pokeball? That couldn't be right... As he stared, it popped up out of the dirt, revelaing itself to be none other than a Foongus. Slightly startled, Terran jumped back, and sent out Geodude. "Alright, I got this." Foongus jumped out at Geodude, making an eerie noise. Astonish hit Geodude, but barely fazed him; He was quick to retaliate. "Geodude, Tackle!" She rushed forward, hitting Foongus with an attack of her own. The battle went on like this for a short while, until Terran saw Foongus was weak enough to be captured. He threw the pokeball, and watched as it rocked back and forth, finally sighing as it made the distinct *Ding~* that signified a successful capture. He recalled Geodude, and turned to thank Dan. "I really appreciate this. I can't even express it with words... Mr. Acer, I'm glad to have met you. A quick warning, though; I overheard some thug-looking guys whispering about how they were planning some sort of burglary tomorrow... something about stealing a sapphire." A scream pierced the air - it was clear that the burglars had moved their schedule forward, and that it was no stone being taken. Terran turned to the house, his face chalk-white, and began running to try and help.

"Not in my damn town!" said Dan. He had a thought: It wasn't his house, was it? "Better not be MY Sapphire they're taking!" he said. To be safe, he put Kyler down, and put Abra's hand in Kyler's hand. "Abra, take Kyler to safety: go to the outskirts." said Dan. "Daddy, what's going on?" said Kyler. "Don't worry, I'll handle it. Remember, I've delt with other situations like this, Ky! Now go!" said Acer. "Go Daddy! Beat the bad guys!" said Kyler. Abra used teleport, and both he and Kyler disappeared out of the town.

Dan fallowed Terran, running. "Eh kid...which house..." he said.

Terran called over his shoulder, "There's not many people around here of any importance, sir. I hate to be so manipulative, but I had to know that you were still the man you used to be. It's your house, although I had no idea they were going after your wife... Damn, this is bad. Go, Donphan!" The large, elephantine pokemon was released from it's ball, and instantly caught the note of urgency in Terran's voice. "Quick, use Rollout to get up there quickly; slow them down as best you can!" He trumpeted a call, then sped off after the criminals. "We have to hurry, sir. I'm not sure why they want her, but it can't be good."

Dan face kringled in anger. "Look son, I appreciate you're help. Here's what you do: I need you to go and get help. Call the police. Tell your Donphan to hide in my garden only until I tell it to act. Got it? I'll take care of those bastards."

Terran shook his head. "Sir, I AM the help. The Rangers got word of these guys a few days ago, and tasked me with finding out what they were stealing, and when; at which point, I would let you know in secret, to avoid suspicion. It would seem, however, that they had noticed me earlier, or just decided since they saw you out of the house, that they would take advantage of it. They've got people inside the police that would hold things up, that's how they always manage to get away. Donphan can keep them busy for a bit, and my Gabite and Nidoking are always ready for a battle, if you need it. I'm a well-experienced Trainer, even if I don't look it." He continued to run for the house, the sounds of a battle starting to echo through the air; it would seem Donphan had caught up to them.

"Pokemon Rangers?" said Dan. He must know Cale, he thought. "Alright kid. You do what you want. But I'm getting my wife back. If they get away with her, I swear, I'll bury you people alive." he said. Dan sped up, and finally reached his house, only he approached the front way. He kicked the front door in. "Alright you bastards, unhand her!" Dan Shouted.

He arrived just in time to see a Machamp use Cross Chop on Terran's Donphan, knocking it out. The rest of the kidnappers' Pokemon turned to him; a Scizor, Carnivine, and... Zangoose? The same one he'd seen in the woods, as a matter of fact. Terran skidded to a stop behind him, and let out his Gabite and Nidoking. "Donphan! Dammit, that Machamp is mine! Gabite, Dragon Rush!" He ran past Dan with his Pokemon, stopping only to pat Donphan's side and recall him into his Pokeball.

"Grr. Where is She?!" said Dan. "KABUTOPS!!" he called out. A Beedrill came crashing down the stairs. Kabutops then jumped down after words. "Thank goodness you've arrived, Master." said Kabutops. "Where are they?!" said Dan. "They're upstairs." said Kabutops. Dan ran up the stairs to the upstairs living room, and he saw the kidnappers with Sapphire. "Dan, help!" she pleaded. "You guys better hand her over, or I swear, I'll make sure you leave her in bandages." said Dan to her Kidnappers.

The sounds of battle roaring beneath them, the kidnappers began to worry. All of their Pokemon were downstairs, and they were dealing with a very pissed off husband. "Sorry, but if we hand her over, bandages will be the least of our problems. Scizor!" The Pokemon burst through the floor at his call, ready to battle. Terran cursed, and shouted up an apology. "On the bright side, the rest of them are completely weak!"

Dan wanted some answers before he made a rescue. "Who are you freaks!" he yelled, Angrily.

One of the goons snickered. "We're just your run-of-the-mill thieves and muggers, but someone requested we do this job. Paying quite well, for an anonymous handler. Scizor, Swords Dance!" His Pokemon powered up it's Attack stat, getting ready for a battle. Level 31 Scizor, Male

"I ain't fighting that thing. You are going to leave my wife alone and get the hell off my property." Said. Dan.

The goons didn't see the Kabutops climbing the balcony and sneak up onto them. Kabutops went behind the one nearest to Sapphire, the leader, and wrapped his sharp sword arms around him. "Do what he says, human meatbag scum." He said, coldly. "Really the mistress or I'll cut you to little pieces and eat them. And if your bug bastard over there tries to help you, I'll do it. These arms are sharper than swords. I WILL do it."

Dan looked scared himself. "He really isn't joking." He said to the goon. "He WILL kill you. I can't even stop him. If the goon was to turn his head, he would come in contact with eyes scary enough to make a grown man cry.

[Dude, please don't pit me against a Pokemon of that level. Charmeleon isn't with him at this point.]

((Charmeleon... isn't? No pokeballs? Mmkay... Scizor is now a Scyther, and is level 13. Trainer still thinks he's 30, though. He's incredibly stupid.))

The goon grinned. "Not at all scared, mister. Scyther's taken down plenty of Pokémon before, and yours will just be the next. Start things off with False Swipe!" Scyther feinted left, then jabbed right, hoping to catch Kabutops off-guard.

Kabutops just stood there. It's Expresion didn't change. It lowered it's knife arm even closer.

"I'm going to cut him into nothing. You lay down your attacks or he's dead." he said coldly.

((I'm just gonna assume the attack connected, then... I love HK, have I ever told you that? Kabutops is going to be my new favorite Pokémon, now.))

The attack connected, but Kabutops's reaction seemed to terrify Scyther. He stepped back from Kabutops, raising its claws in a defensive stance, still backing away. The goon, however, didn't seem impressed. "Listen, I'm in for worse than death if I can't deliver this lady. You don't scare me nearly as much as Tabitha, sorry. Scyther, Quick Attack." He hesitated, but when the goon barked at him again, he dashed at Kabutops.

"Then you're gonna love me." said Dan. He had gone behind the Goon, and Elbowed him in the back of the neck as hard as he could. Not enough to paralyze, but with extreme force.

Meanwhile, Kabutops moved one arm, and gave a REALLY sharp cut attack at the incoming Scyther.